Countdown to Christmas Advent Tree by Lynne

Hello here and happy Christmastime, my crafty friends! Yes, to me Christmas isn't a day-it's a whole season that starts no later than November 1! I have to admit, I can't wait to see the Halloween stuff gone from the stores so the Christmas decorating can begin.(I know my Halloween-loving cohorts will be appalled, but I can't help it!)

I just love this new arrival to Gypsy Soul and couldn't wait to get it ready to grace my space.

I covered the tree with some soft green paper with a crackle design that gave it a homey, vintage feel, then inked the edges in gold. I'm afraid I have no idea who made this paper :(

Some white texture paste spread on with my fingers and topped with clear glass glitter created fallen "snow" on the branches.

I covered the base in this deep maroon paper; it's by Inkido from the Happy Christmas line. I found the best way to get it to hold on when I wrapped it around the edges was to use my ATG, I'm sure most tape runners would hold as well. You will need to use an x-acto knife to cut the slits in for the tree and the back piece to fit into. I inked the edges here with gold as well.

The tiles were covered with  paper from the Heartfelt Creations Christmas Card pack and the edges were inked in gold as well.

I painted the words and the numbers with gold acrylic paint and then dry-embossed the numbers with a Christmas pattern. 

Both the words and numbers were inked with Versacolor Ink in Paprika and were attached to the project pieces with white glue. I put teeny nails in the tree to hang the countdown numbers.

The star was created with two different snowflakes from the Snowflakes Shape Set; the larger one was painted gold and inked in Paprika, and the smaller one was painted white and sprinkled with the glass glitter. I layered them with white glue and added an adhesive pearl to the center. I also painted and glittered three other small snowflakes to add to the tree. I made the bow from bits of ribbon and attached it with hot glue.

I found some small boxes and pieces of Styrofoam to wrap to create the faux presents I attached to the base; I used real wrapping paper rather than patterned paper as it's easier to wrap around small items and not as bulky.

The snowman is from the Winter Shape Set; I used FolkArt Crackle Medium to get the effect. Paint the item with gold acrylic paint, then when dry add a thick coat of the crackle medium. This will take a while to completely dry (don't use the heat tool) Add a coat of white acrylic paint and the cracks will begin to form right away. When mine was dry I inked the edges in gold then added a scarf cut from a piece of sparkly canvas ribbon

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My decor for Christmas always uses a combination of soft and warm colours, so this little project will fit in perfectly, but you can use any colours or patterns to create a custom Advent Tree for your home or that of a loved one....they would make terrific gifts! Wishing you a wonderful and creative week!

GYPSY SOUL ITEMS USED
Advent Tree-coming soon (contact store)
Snowflake Shape Set
Winter Shape Set

OTHER ITEMS USED
Inkido and Heartfelt Creations papers
DecoArt Acrylic paints

Advanced Tape Glider

Versacolor inks
Clearsnap Colorbox glass glitter
Ribbon from my stash